Phantom Town

Part 1

It was late in the afternoon when the mountains became visible up ahead. Harrison had lost track of how long he and his father had been driving. Obviously several hours. They had no idea where they were headed, all they knew was that they were looking for a new life, or an adventure. At this point, however, their main concern was finding somewhere to stay overnight. Eventually, they happened upon an old stretch of road that led through a dense and silent forest.

"I wonder where this goes?" Harrison muttered. "I don't know, maybe to a campsite." His father, whose name was Carl, answered. A few minutes passed in the calm of the wilderness before they spotted the sign. It was faded, and almost hidden by greenery, but it clearly read, "Welcome to Fantome!"

Carl peeked at the GPS. "Hmm, that's weird. This town isn't on the map or the GPS. Harrison, is your phone getting reception?" He asked. Harrison took out his cellphone. "Yeah, it's got plenty of bars." He replied. "Well, we need somewhere to spend the night. Maybe there's a nice hotel." With that, the two drove onwards into the hidden small town.

They came to a small Welcome Center and entered to find a man who looked quite odd, with a gray, scruffy beard and a knitted hat. "Hello, strangers! Welcome to Fantome. Folks call me Smith. Need any information?" He asked. "Well, we're just passing through and we were wondering if there was somewhere we could spend the night." Carl replied while Harrison looked on quizzically.

Smith smiled, showing a row of surprisingly straight teeth. "There's a sort-of hotel down the street. There are boarders there and the owner lives there with his daughters, but travelers are always welcome to spend the night. They serve breakfast over there too." He said. "Where is it?" Carl asked. "It's just down the street. It's a big house with a sign that has a cat on it, and there's a bunch of oak trees." Smith directed. "Thank you, sir!" Carl said. "You're welcome. Enjoy your stay in Fantome!" Smith called.

Sure enough, Carl and Harrison found the big house. It looked old, colorful, and eccentric, almost like something from a storybook. The faded black cat on the sign seemed to have a wicked stare. A man greeted them when they entered. "Welcome, how can I help you?" He inquired. "Are you the owner?" Carl asked. "Yes, I am. They call me Jones." The man introduced himself. "We were wondering if there was a room open. We're passing through and we need to stay overnight." Carl explained. "There is always a room open." Jones replied. While Carl signed in, Harrison began to look around the lobby area. There were several paintings on the walls of whimsical things and odd, colorful scenes. "Who did these paintings?" He asked suddenly. Jones looked up from his desk.

"My wife," He answered with an almost eerie smile. "She was a brilliant painter, may she rest in peace." "Oh, I'm sorry." Harrison replied. Jones was silent. "You look to be about my oldest daughter's age." He observed all of a sudden. "There we go. We'll probably leave tomorrow." Carl said. "Oh, I don't think you should be on the road tomorrow. It's been all over the radio and the weather channel, tornado warnings in the surrounding areas!" Jones exclaimed.

"Oh, well... we'll just see what happens then." Carl answered. "Take your time. Travelers are always welcome here!" Jones said. Just then, the door opened and a girl entered. She was tall and lean, with a serious face. She had long dark hair, and glistening eyes the color of clover leaves. She appeared for a moment before she was gone again. "Speaking of my daughter, well, that was the girl just now. She tends to lurk here and there like a ghost." Jones said with a laugh.

Harrison gave a weak laugh in response, but he could tell something was strange about the girl. In the few moments she'd been in the room, she looked at him as if she were staring into his soul.